Happy Mother’s Day/Month/Season
to the maternal ancestors
Who birthed children out of trauma
Who nursed children they did not birth
Who raised children of a different complexion
We honor you
This country’s foundation laid down brick by brick on your spine
They suckled on your breast for nourishment while your own starved
We can’t forget you

Last night I got Haitian checked. This person wanted to see how Haitian I was. In the middle of them speaking English, they just broke out in Creole. I’m talking about that raw, direct and unapologetic Creole. Of course, I’m not one to back away from a challenge.

I speak proudly and boldly for all those kids in elementary and middle school who were embarrassed of being Haitian. Those who split their tongue in half trying to silence their Haitian accent. Much like the Haitian people, the Creole language cannot be silenced and even when we deny it, it finds a home in our broken English.

As immigrants, it’s so important to teach our child(ren) to speak/write their Native tongue(s). Speaking more than one language is a sign of intelligence AND sometimes that’s their only bridge back to the culture.

this post is for my multifaceted kinfolks
those who breathe calculus and write poetry
those who can memorize anatomical terms and choreograph a dance
those who study the law and can teach art
somehow, along the way they told us to choose
and we listened

i think we can transform our fields when we welcome all aspects of ourselves.

there is a place for creativity in law, a place for imagination in science
there is a place for precision in writing, a place for arithmetic in music